Roasted Sweet Potato Rainbow Salad with Lime Crema

Okay, I’ll admit I just made this salad as a vehicle for the lime crema. It’s all about the crema. This stuff is seriously life changing and I haven’t been able to stop making it since my first batch. So, I just threw together a bunch of my other favorite ingredients, all of which happened to make a beautiful natural rainbow of colors, and ended up with this Roasted Sweet Potato Rainbow Salad (…with lime crema).

Roasted Sweet Potato Rainbow Salad with Lime Crema

Meal Prep Ready!

This salad is great for meal prepping for the week. Just mix together the salad ingredients, but add the dressing each day as needed. You can top it with some grilled or rotisserie chicken, maybe roll it all together inside a tortilla, and you’re good to go! Another fun add-in that I thought about (but opted out of in favor of keeping things simple) is crushed up tortilla chips or tortilla strips. I think that crunch would be a really fun addition. And of course you could always add a bit of avocado or sliced jalapeños if that’s your jam.

Use Roasted Frozen Corn for Even More Flavor

Oh, also, if you have a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s in your area, you can make this salad even easier. They both sell frozen roasted corn, which you can use instead of my skillet charred corn. I went the budget route and made my own this time, but the pre-roasted frozen corn is seriously awesome (I think it’s usually cheaper at TJ’s than WF).

Roasted Sweet Potato Rainbow Salad with Lime Crema

This Roasted Sweet Potato Rainbow Salad combines a medley of vibrant colors and flavors, brought together by a bright and creamy dressing.

Keyword: meal prep

Total Cost: $7.93 recipe / $1.32 serving

Author: Beth M

Prep Time: 20mins

Cook Time: 30mins

Total Time: 50mins

Servings: 61.33 cups each

Ingredients

LIME CREMA

8ozsour cream ($1.00)

1fresh lime ($0.50)

1small clove garlic, minced($0.08)

1/4tspsalt ($0.02)

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES

1.5lbsweet potatoes ($1.57)

2Tbspcooking oil ($0.08)

1tspcumin ($0.10)

Salt to taste ($0.02)

BLACKENED CORN

1lbfrozen corn kernels, thawed($1.49)

2Tbspcooking oil ($0.08)

Salt to taste ($0.02)

SALAD

15 ozcanblack beans( $0.99)

1red bell pepper ($1.50)

1/4red onion* ($0.25)

1/4bunch cilantro $0.23($0.23)

Instructions

If you haven't yet, take the corn out of the freezer and allow it to begin thawing. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Peel the sweet potatoes, then cut them into a small dice (1/4-1/2 inch cubes). Place the cubes on a baking sheet, drizzle with cooking oil, cumin, and a pinch or two of salt. Toss the sweet potato cubes until they are all coated in oil and spices. Roast the sweet potatoes for about 30 minutes, or until they are soft and slightly browned on the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

While the sweet potatoes are roasting, prepare the lime crema. Use a small-holed cheese grater or a zester to remove the thin layer of green zest from the lime. Add about 1 tsp of the zest and 1 Tbsp of the lime juice to the sour cream, along with the minced clove of garlic and 1/4 tsp of salt. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust the lime juice as desired. Refrigerate the crema until ready to use.

Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat the surface of the skillet. Add the thawed corn and let cook until the corn is blistered and charred on the edges. Avoid stirring too often to allow it to blacken a bit. Let the corn cool slightly.

Finely dice the red bell pepper and red onion. Rinse and drain the black beans. Pull the cilantro leaves from their stems and then roughly chop.

Combine the roasted sweet potatoes, blackened corn, black beans, red bell pepper, red onion, and cilantro in a large dish. Stir to combine. Add some of the lime crema and toss until the salad is lightly coated. Add a little more lime crema on top just before serving.

Notes

*Use your leftover red onion to make pickled red onions, which go great with tacos and burritos.

How to Store Roasted Sweet Potato Rainbow Salad

The “rainbow” ingredients of this salad should store well, even once stirred together, but I suggest leaving the crema off until just before serving.

Step by Step Photos

If you haven’t already, take one pound of frozen corn kernels out of the freezer to thaw. If you are planning on charring them in a skillet like I did, they need to be completely thawed. Also, preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Peel and dice about 1.5 lbs. sweet potatoes (that was two small sweet potatoes for me, or one really large one). Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 Tbsp of cooking oil. Sprinkle 1 tsp cumin on top and a pinch or two of salt. Toss until all the sweet potatoes are coating in oil and spices.

Roast the sweet potatoes in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until they are soft and slightly brown on the edges. Total cooking time will depend on how small you cut them, so be mindful. Let them cool slightly.

While the sweet potatoes are roasting, prepare the lime crema. Zest one fresh lime (I use a small-holed cheese grater). Add about 1 tsp of the zest and 1 Tbsp of the lime juice to an 8oz. tub of sour cream. Also add one small clove of garlic (minced) and about 1/4 tsp salt. Stir to combine, then taste and adjust the lime juice as you see fit. Refrigerate the crema until ready to use.

If you’re not using frozen corn that came pre-roasted, heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat the surface of the skillet. Add the thawed corn kernels and let them cook until browned and blistered on the edges. Avoid stirring too often as this won’t allow the corn time to blacken. Season with a pinch or two of salt and let the corn cool slightly.

Drain and rinse a 15oz. can of black beans. Finely dice one red bell pepper and 1/4 of a red onion. Pull the leaves from 1/4 bunch of cilantro, and give them a rough chop. Combine the roasted sweet potatoes, charred corn, black beans, red bell pepper, red onion, and cilantro in a large bowl or dish.

Stir the salad ingredients to combine. If you’re meal prepping this salad, refrigerate it just like this without the dressing. If you’re going to serve it, add some of the crema, then stir until there is a light coating over the whole salad. Add more crema to the top of each serving. That pop of tart lime is more noticeable when you have some drizzled on top in addition to the light coating.

This has quickly become one of my favorites! It’s consistently more filling than I expect it to be, too, which is always a pleasant surprise. I pre-portion into “single servings,” but almost always end up with half left over (after what looks like a very modest portion).

I was skeptical at first because I generally don’t like black beans and I’m neutral on corn, but something about the combination with the sweet potatoes makes it totally work.

My favorite way to make it is as a burrito bowl: this rainbow salad, a small amount of smoky chipotle pulled pork, cilantro-lime rice, cheese and the lime crema. It’s also pretty good as a base for a fried egg.

This recipe is absolutely delicious. I roasted the bell pepper with the corn and added more lime to the lime creama. I will say- absolutely do not meal prep this! No one should eat beans that many days in a row. The recipe also doesn’t keep that well, even with keeping the sour cream separated.

Hi! I’m Beth

As a food lover and a number cruncher I've decided that cooking on a budget shouldn't mean canned beans and ramen noodles night after night. Join me for delicious recipes designed for small budgets. More »